Archive
Police Use of iPhone Iris Scanners Raise Privacy Concerns
The so-called “biometric” technology, which seems to take a page from TV shows like “MI-5″ or “CSI,” could improve speed and accuracy in some routine police work in the field. Dozens of police departments nationwide are gearing up to use a tech company’s already controversial iris- and facial-scanning device that slides over an iPhone and helps identify a person or track criminal suspects.
But its use has set off alarms with some people who are more concerned about possible civil liberties and privacy issues. Constitutional rights advocates are concerned, in part because the device can accurately scan an individual’s face from up to four feet away, potentially without a person’s being aware of it.
“This is (the technology) stepping out of the cruiser and riding on the officer’s belt, along with his flashlight, his handcuffs, his sidearm or the other myriad tools,” said John Birtwell, spokesman for the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department in southeastern Massachusetts, one of the first departments to use the devices.
“What we don’t want is for them to become a general surveillance tool, where the Read more…
Biometrics for Indian cabs
Officials at India’s New Delhi International Airport will soon begin using biometrics to monitor taxi drivers; the move comes after a Saudi businessman was abducted and murdered by two cab drivers in 2008
Officials at India’s New Delhi International Airport will soon begin using biometrics to monitor taxi drivers. The drivers of prepaid taxis will soon have their biometric data recorded on to cards that will be scanned every time they leave the airport with a passenger.
The move comes after a Saudi businessman was abducted and murdered by two cab drivers in 2008. Prior to that, an Australian Read more…
Cops to Get Facial Recognition Devices; Will They Need Warrants to Use Them?
Police departments in several states are getting new high-tech devices that can scan irises, recognize faces and collect fingerprints.
The devices, made by BI2 Technologies, are attached to an iPhone for immediate searches of criminal databases, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. The development is “raising significant questions about privacy and civil liberties,” the story says.
Currently the technology, called “Moris” for Mobile Offender Recognition and Information System, is used by the military to identify insurgents. But B12 has Read more…
Biometric access could control South Africa schools
Liam Terblanche, CIO at AccsysMany schools in South Africa may have considered biometric access control as a means of combating truancy and ensuring learner safety and security.
In the UK, an estimated 30% of all schools use biometric access control. Although concerns have been raised over privacy and the collection of fingerprints into national data sets, the Data Protection Act (1998) of that country allows schools to record fingerprint biometrics without the consent of the parents.
In South Africa, however, the almost to be promulgated Protection of Personal Information (POPI) bill prevents the collection of personal information without the written consent of the individual, or that of a legal guardian in the case of minors. (See section 25 – Prohibition on processing of special personal information).
This would imply that, even if a school’s governing body agrees to the implementation of biometric access control at a school, the individual learners would still be able to Read more…
Biometric Identity: The Great Divider
The use of Biometrics in national identity cards has spliced the globe into two with people in developed nations looking at it as infringement of their privacy and civil liberties, reports Team Inclusion
A debate has been raging in India since Manmohan Singh government broadened the sphere of MNIC (Multi-purpose National Identity Cards) to National Population Register (NPR) appending into it a biometrics-based Unique Identification (UID) number. The opponents of the scheme have accused the central government of snooping into privacy of residents. They fear that the project would prove to be the death of right to privacy implicit in Article 21, which guarantees protection of life and personal liberty. They apprehend that the governmental Read more…
Facial recognition now at all of Australia’s intn’l airports
Darwin International Airport has today launched its own SmartGate counters, ensuring that all eight of Australia’s international airports have the face-recognition technology.
(Ah ain’t long for this whorl image byThe technology uses electronic information embedded in e-passports and face-recognition technology to perform customs and immigration checks. During immigration, users scan their e-passports, which are equipped with an embedded chip, and have their photograph taken.
The technology maps the underlying bone structure of the face by measuring the distances between defining features such as the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. The measurements are digitally coded for comparison and verification purposes, and a mathematical algorithm is applied to determine whether the photo of the traveller’s face matches their e-passport photo.
It was first implemented at Brisbane International Airport in 2007, and since then it has been used by 3.5 million travellers, with close to one million using it in this year alone.
In this year’s Biometrics Institute Industry Survey, which canvasses opinions from 137 user organisations in Read more…
An Onslaught of Biometrics?
Yesterday, I was standing in a checkout line at the grocery store surrounded by the usual items — a wide selection of candies, celebrity magazines, and diet tips. Of course, one of the magazines was advertising a combination of two themes: a celebrity diet. I’ve always found these diets incredibly silly, not because the advice is necessarily bad, but because the whole matter of economic incentives is left out of the equation.
Celebrities don’t stay in shape thanks to special techniques or a superb personal trainer. Rather, the profit motive does most of the work. In order to continue making millions every year, celebrities must stay incredibly fit. If each of our readers were offered a million dollars per year to stay in shape, we’d all see the pounds falling off rapidly. The average person simply doesn’t have the same incentives as actors and actresses. Most Hollywood denizens don’t stay fit because of fabulous diets — they have a very powerful monetary incentive that keeps them on those diets. The rest of us can cheat; we don’t have a movie shoot coming up in a few months.
But isn’t health and a long life enough of an incentive? Yes and no. As a doctor friend of Read more…
Analysts raise alarm on Facebook expansion of facial recognition technology
The expansion of Facebook’s facial recognition technology into Australia has raised privacy and security concerns, with local analysts warning information accumulated by the social networking giant could be used for malicious purposes.
In a statement on its blog on Tuesday, Facebook announced it had launched the feature beyond North America into most countries. The feature uses facial recognition technology to speed up the process of tagging friends in photos.
The technology scans new uploaded photos and determines if the faces in these new images resemble those in previously tagged photos. If they do, the feature will suggest friends to tag. Previously, users had to tag photos manually, without suggestions.
According to the social network’s blog, more than 100 million photos per day are uploaded to Facebook and the goal of the feature is to Read more…
Argentinian Government Explores Biometric Security Technology with Cross Match
Cross Match Technologies, Inc., a leading global provider of biometric identity solutions, has entered into an agreement with the Argentinian Government to support the deployment of identity management systems throughout the country.
The National Public Administration of Argentina is evaluating new biometric systems to support key administration activities. “We will promote the use and implementation of new biometric technology and electronic equipment,” states Pedro Janices, National Director of the National Office of Information Technologies. “Biometric devices will help to enhance existing and forthcoming services provided by the Government.”
Cross Match will provide guidance and expertise in the areas of forensic-quality fingerprint and palm print capture devices, multimodal biometric capture systems, document readers, software and Read more…
‘Too creepy even for Google’: Search engine boss warns governments against facial recognition technology
Concerns: Google boss Eric Schmidt warned against facial recognition
The executive chairman of Google has warned governments against facial recognition technology – saying it is ‘too creepy’ even for the search engine.
Eric Schmidt said that the technology has advanced rapidly in recent years and that it could be rolled out across the internet.
But the controversial technique has angered privacy campaigners who claim that it would be a further erosion of privacy and civil liberties.
Now Schmidt has dispelled any suggestions that internet giant Google would be the first company to employ the system.
But he warned that there were likely to be other organisations who might ‘cross the line’ and use facial recognition.
Speaking today at Google’s Big Tent conference on internet privacy, technology and society, in Hertfordshire, Schmidt said that the accuracy of such technology was ‘very concerning’.
Facial recognition would work by scanning in a photograph of somebody’s face in order to Read more…
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